Leap Year!

Ah yes! What better day to blog than today. There is one tradition of this extra day that a lot of people got to know when the movie Lear Year came out. On this very special day in some countries like Ireland, Britain, Finland and Denmark women propose marriage to their significant others in hopes to have a "happily ever after" story to tell. Not in Greece though...apparently it is bad luck to marry on this day and many engaged couples are very careful to not pick this particular day for their wedding. Whether you believe or not, all I know is that a day like today deserves something sweet and yummy. 

As some of you who follow my blog know, I bake for American soldiers once a month. Last round, I had a wonderful co-worker and friend help me out and thanks to a small mistake in ingredients we ended up with a great recipe for rum raisin spiced cookies. Even though it may seem like a lot of ingredients, these are super easy to make and will for sure tingle your taste buds. So baking my friends!

What you will need:

2 C quick cook oats
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 C (2 sticks) sweet butter
1 C sugar
1 C light brown sugar
1 C raisins
2 eggs
1/2 C rum

How to make:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Soak the raisins in a cup with the rum and set aside.
Combine the oats, raisins, flour, spices, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugars until smooth. Add to this mixture the eggs. Beat until blended. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter about 1 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes. I like to use an ice cream scoop to make sure they bake evenly. Allow to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream or hot chocolate.

~Enjoy!

Orzo MIO!

Nothing beats being able to do something quick and healthy when you are on the go. That is the focus this month of February...not the cheesy-not-for-girls-like-ME yucky "Valentine’s Day"...Yes, I said it...I am one of those anti-vday gals out there who rather spend some time with family and friends rather than on an overpriced meal that I could probably make at home. And you know what? that just may be more fulfilling than anything else. May studies show that by truly enjoying the little things in life is what brings the most gratification to us and in turn our moods get a boost that is oh so good to the point where we feel better and ready to take on the world.

With that said, how about taking a little advice and putting things into practice. Yes, I know it may sound silly but you lose nothing by trying. Keep a mental note of all the things you are grateful for during your day and when you get home at night write them down and keep a journal of it. At the end of the week take a minute to look back and be amazed at all the cool little things that we take for granted and have the potential of giving you that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

I'm thankful for my followers! =)

Now..on to the yummy food!

Orzo Pasta Salad

What you need:

1 Box of Orzo Pasta

4 C Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

½ Can of Kalamata Olives, drained, sliced

1 C of Grape Tomatoes, halved

¾ C Feta Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Flat Leaf Parsley

Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Boil orzo with chicken broth (more flavor than water) for about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, cheese, garbanzo beans, olives and mix well. Add vinaigrette and top with flat leaf parsley.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

What you need:

1/3 C red wine vinegar

¼ C fresh lemon juice

1/3 C honey

½ C EVOO

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired. Combine with orzo and serve room temp.

~Enjoy!~